Congratulations Lindsey & Jared!!!

We want to wish Lindsey and Jared congratulations on their marriage!

Actually, its 1:30 mountain time right now, and they get married at 2pm, so its not official yet!
We talked to Shane's mom a little while ago, and she said that things were going good and pictures were done!

We are thinking about you, Lindsey and Jared, and pray your day goes off without a hitch!
We wish we could be there! At least I got to be there in part by doing the flowers! Which Shane's mom said looked beautiful! I hope Lindsey is happy with how they turned out! Sharon even said Lindsey was using the bridal bouquet I made for her to have for her bridal sitting and as a keepsake! I guess she liked it enough to not go with a real bouquet for herself, like she was planning! So that made me happy!

Shane still has an active role as well in the wedding...to update Tanner on the Husker game, who will then pass along the information to everyone else at the wedding!

I can't wait to see pictures of everything and see how Lindsey's black & white polka dot theme with red accents came together! I am sure everything looks wonderful! And I know Lindsey will be a beautiful bride!

We love you and miss you all and wish we were there!

Saturday...

It's Saturday and I can't believe it is already 1:30pm...I don't know where the morning went!

Bella's abscess looked better this morning, but each time I try to move the hair to look at it, it breaks the wound back open, so I thought we better still take her to the vet to have the hair shaved so it can fully heal and checked to make sure there is no infection. I don't know how she knew that's where we were going, but she started shaking before we were even halfway to Wilton to the vets!
The vet shaved the area for me, and said the wound didn't look infected, and told me the signs to look for incase one would set in. So even though Shane probably didn't think it was necessary...it was definitely worth my peace of mind. That last thing I want to do is worry about her if I was at the hospital in labor!

Here are some pictures of what we did after we got home from the vet:

Shane got his Husker flag hung for game day today!
We got many looks from those driving by! I told him if our house got egged, he had to clean it up!

We also installed the carseat!

Before Baby!
(notice how clean the car is...I spent a few hours this past week vacuuming and cleaning every inch!)

Carseat protector...check!

Carseat base...check!

Carseat...check!

Now for the baby...still working on that!

The first thing I told Shane after lifting the carseat in and getting it back out was that I wanted a mini-van! He looked at me and laughed! Granted, I won't be 9 months pregnant when I am actually using the carseat...but I can definitely see how a mini-van would be easier on my back, and how not having to deal with doors that swing open would be nice for parking lots!
The tough decision about a mini-van will be whether to buy a Toyota or a Honda...so if anyone one has a suggestion, I would love the input! A mini-van is still a year or so down the road...but with the time Shane and I take to make huge decisions, like buying a car...I better start researching in the next couple of months! I definitely prefer the looks of the Honda Odyssey over the Toyota Sienna, but Toyotas run a little cheaper. I have no idea what either one is like inside though! And I am still amazed at what you have to pay for a used one! Anyway...I do feel extremely blessed to have a dependable car already, which is more than most people!

~

Below is my 39 week picture!

Our plan for the rest of the day is to watch football and lounge. The Husker game is on at 6pm...we will have to listen to it not watch it (its on paperview). My parents are on their way here. They will probably take it easy and only drive part of the way and come the rest of the way tomorrow (unless if I were to go into labor today...but I am not holding my breathe for that one!)
I just keep telling myself that I am 1 day closer!

Hope everyone has a good Labor Day weekend!

39 Weeks Pregnant!

Wow, I am now 39 weeks pregnant! Hard to believe!
Our 39 week prenatal appointment was the one we had on Monday...she wanted to start seeing me at the beginning of the week, rather than the end.
So our next appointment is on Tuesday, September 2nd.
I definitely 'feel' 39 weeks pregnant! Sleep has pretty much been impossible due to the constant back and hip pain, and leg cramps!
I lost my mucus plug this morning when I got up (I don't know how much is too much information for some of my blog readers...but I guess thats the risk you take reading my blog...ha, ha!). Unfortunately, losing your mucus plug pretty much means nothing...labor can be hours to weeks away still!

Shane and I made the hard decision of not going home for his sister, Lindsey's wedding.
We are really bummed. But after much thought and prayer, we decided it was best that we did not make the trip. I have felt like crap that past several days and have been nausea, so between that and the back pain, we didn't know how I would do riding in the car for 600+ miles! And our doctor had said she preferred we stayed home and 'nest'!
We would have loved to been at the wedding and seen our family, especially since we probably won't make it all the way home now until Christmas time!

My power cords arrived yesterday and they work! So I am now back on my laptop! Yeah!

Other news:
Bella has an abscess on her back! Shane was petting her last night before we went to bed and noticed something on her back, and after kinda rubbing to see what it was, it broke open and oozed pus out! So now I am worried about that, even though its probably not much. I called the vet this morning and they said they should take a look at it and will probably need to shave the hair around it to keep it from getting infected. It doesn't really seem to bother Bella or hurt, but it was more puffy around the area today than last night. So I would rather treat it before it gets infected, than to wait and see if it does and end up having her to have an IV and all sorts of other things!
I take her in tomorrow at 8:45am and she is not gonna be happy with me. Bella hates the vet, as soon as I pull into the parking lot she starts to shake, and refuses to get out of the car, I always have to pick her up and carry her inside cuz she won't even walk in the door! And then she just shakes like a leaf the entire time! Poor thing! I had to take her on Monday for her booster for her vaccine she got 3 weeks ago, and when we left I promised her that she wouldn't have to go back for another year! If I feel horrible watching my poor dog get shots, etc done...I don't know how I am gonna react when Emma has to have shots!

Well, that is about it for now! The washer just quit so I should go put those clothes in the dryer and start another load! I have been trying to stay busy! I cleaned the ceiling fans yesterday, and hung blinds in Shane and I's room, and worked on September's budget. So today is laundry, the grocery store, and maybe get some movies for the weekend (so I have something to watch while Shane watches football...yeah, did I forget to mention that college football season started last night...if you know my husband, then you know how elated he is!)

Another Update...

Well, I just got back from the doctor and was checked. She said she would now call me a 1-2 for dilation (I was a 1 on Monday) and I am now at 50% effacement.
I woke up extremely dizzy last night with horrible left leg pain, so needless to say I didn't sleep very well. And I have had a headache and felt nausea all day. Not exactly how I was hoping to feel when we have to make a decision whether or not to travel tomorrow. It will depend on how I sleep tonight and feel tomorrow morning.
My doctor did set me up an induction date today (she told me yesterday on the phone that it would probably be Sept. 8th). Well, she looked at the schedule today, and it would have to be Sept. 11th at 5pm. I would prefer not to have to be induced at all...and pray that I go earlier than the 11th! 2 weeks seems like such a long time from now! I shouldn't complain though...millions of women have gone thru the same thing...now I know what they are talking about!

To add to my already long week, my laptop power cord literally fried itself on Saturday, so I haven't been able to use my laptop...cause I can't recharge it! So I can't just sit and relax and browse the internet (which is a good past time) or play with Photoshop (Shane doesn't have CS2 version on his computer). And yes, I still have Shane's computer I can use, but sitting at a desk is not all that comfortable with a protruding belly!
I did order me 2 power cords Monday afternoon and am having them FedEx Expressed from Hong Kong, so they should arrive tomorrow or Friday. It was half the price to order from Hong Kong 2 of the exact same replacement power cord and have it FedEx Expressed than to get it from HP website with standard shipping. So I hope the power cords work (I verified what I ordered with Shane). I got 2 so that I don't have to unplug and haul it up and down the stairs...I just have to worry about my laptop.
Well, I think thats all for now!

Ultrasound Update...

Shane and I went for our ultrasound today at 2:30.
And I talked to my doctor at 4pm to find out the results. Baby Emma did grow, they estimate her at 6lbs 8 ozs(+ or - 1 lb). At the last ultrasound she was in the 47th percentile for growth, now she is in the 31st percentile for growth, so she is still expected to be a smaller baby than most...my doctor guesses around a 7lb baby...which I happen to think isn't that small!!!
The amniotic fluid is still at 8cm, which is considered a little low, but not abnormal for being 38 1/2 weeks pregnant. My doctor said she will probably check my fluid one more time in a week if I am still pregnant.
So, I guess in a nutshell...Baby Emma looks good! What a relief!
I go to the doctor's tomorrow at 3pm to see if I dilated anymore just so we know if we should head to Nebraska or not on Thursday! We probably won't know until Thursday morning if we are gonna go! I am praying God will make that decision for me!

You know your Due Date is getting close...

when your eggs expire on your Due Date!

Baby Update...

Shane and I had another pre-natal appointment this morning.
My doctor checked me, and I am still dilated at 1 cm (which is what I was expecting). She also measured me (which I didn't think meant a whole lot anymore since the baby dropped) but she didn't like that I am measuring so small and ordered another ultrasound to check amniotic fluid and baby's size, so we go in tomorrow for that.
I will post again tomorrow after the ultrasound.

I have one more due date prediction to add to the list:

My dad predicts Sept. 1st (he thinks I will go into labor on Labor Day!)

Predictions...

Well, my family keeps telling me their predictions of when I am gonna have this baby.
They all seem to think I will have Emma early! I think they all are gonna jinx me, and I will still be pregnant a week past my due date, which is Sept. 5th! So I thought I would share with you some of their guesses!

My sister, Britni says August 24th...which is tomorrow! She guesses this day, that way my niece Haley and baby Emma would be exactly 4 months apart. Sorry sis, I find it highly unlikely that I will be having this baby tomorrow...I couldn't get off that easy!

My gramma, Cena's prediction is August 25th.

My sister-in-law, Missy guesses I will go into labor before Tuesday, the 26th!

My mom predicts Thursday, August 28th.

As for me, my guess is September 3rd.

And believe it or not, I actually got Shane to make a guess (remember, he is an engineer and doesn't find the logic in guessing something we have no idea about...I told him its just for fun!) Anyway, he guessed September 6th (which is probably the most realistic)!

If you have a guess, I would love to hear it!

38 Week Update...

Today marks my 38th week of being pregnant! Wow, thats hard to believe! We actually had our 38th week prenatal appointment on Wednesday. It was pretty routine. We met the other doctor that could delivery the baby if thats who is on call when I go into labor. She was nice. She listened to the heartbeat, which is still going good and strong. She asked if I was having a lot of pelvic pressure, I said "Yes!", she said she would think so since she could put an entire hand between the top of my uterus and the baby's butt! She didn't measure me, since it doesn't really tell much now that the baby has dropped. I told her how I have been feeling and her response was that she might be seeing me this weekend (she is on call)! She said everything has started, its just a matter of when baby Emma decides she wants to come.
You would think that would be encouraging news...except if you are a 38 week pregnant woman! Yeah, I could have this baby this weekend...but in reality, I could also still be pregnant 2 weeks from now! And I think its a lot more realistic that I will still be pregnant in 2 weeks! They say these last weeks are the hardest and feel the longest!
I did not sleep well at all last night, and have felt horrible all day, kinda like I have the flu. Which I read is normal in these last weeks before labor. I even took Bella for a walk, hoping that would make me feel better...I felt worse...so I took a long shower (which usually makes me feel better)...I felt worse! So now my poor husband gets to spend the entire weekend with me!

We decided not to do anything this weekend (as in terms of work!) and just relax. This could be our last weekend together at home (since we plan to go to Lindsey's wedding next weekend).
Shane came home from work and offered to take me to get a movie and some supper and just hang out together tonight! So I am waiting for him to change! So I will end my post here! I will leave you with a few 38 week pregnancy pics Shane took of me last night!

p.s. Don't be surprised if I post a lot this next week...it will probably be mostly rambling...but I don't have much to do now, other than wait for baby Emma to arrive. I have pretty much cleaned, organized and washed everything I can think of!

p.p.s Our next appointment is on Monday...in which my doctor will check me to see if I have dilated, so I will post an update then. Oh it could be a long week if I am still at only a 1!

Unemployed...

Well, today was a day for endings and new beginnings.

Today was my last day at work. No more answering the phone 'Stasz Chiropractic, this is Katie' (well, I can't guarantee I won't accidentally do it...I did the the other night on my cell phone when my mom called and Heather and Jon were here...talk about an embarrassing 'pregnant' moment! At least it was a good laugh!)

It would have been 3 years next month that I would have worked at Stasz Chiropractic. I had the blessing of working with great people and having wonderful patients! I will really miss seeing some of my regular patients, but feel confident that my replacement, Missy, will take good care of them!

Below are a few pictures from the day!

Lunch at Las Lomas

We actually saw a patient of ours at Las Lomas, who was nice enough to take the picture for us!

The office crew!
Brenda, me, Missy (my replacement) & Robin

Mark, my boss & Me

Deedra (massage therapist that works out of our office) & me

It seems a little surreal that my time at Stasz Chiropractic is over. It definitely makes having this baby much more of a reality! (Not that the swollen belly and the foot constantly jabbing out my side hasn't contributed!)

I have had some mixed reactions when telling people that I don't plan to work after this baby. Mostly have been positive and encouraging, but there have been a few that make comments like 'oh, after a year or so, you will be dying to leave your kids and work again', or 'you will eventually need that feeling of accomplishment and productivity and making money' or ' you will need to do something for yourself'.

I truly believe that working or not working when having kids comes down to a personal choice for each woman (and some women have no choice but to work). As for me, staying home with my kids was put on my heart quite some time ago...I know it is God's will for my life.

In the last few years, whenever I brought the matter of working, or having a career in prayer to God, I always get the same question from Him that my heart has to answer "Do I want 'quantity' or 'quality' out of this life?" If I worked, the only thing it would really do for us is provide us with more money, to buy more stuff. For me, that isn't a good enough reason for me to work. I get so much joy being home for my husband, making him lunch and helping him break up his work day, and being here for him when he comes home from work (which is why I liked working at Stasz Chiro, b/c it allowed me to still do that).

My mom was a full time stay-at-home mom when I was growing up, and I had a lot of security as a kid knowing my mom was there all the time, and I value the sacrifices she made so much more the older I get. I want to give that to my kids too!

Now I am not naive and going pretend that I know exactly how I am gonna feel, nor do I think that being a stay-at-home wife and mom is gonna be easy. Let's face it, I am going from working part-time where I get compensated, to working full time with lots of over time, no breaks or vacations and with no monetary compensation. And it scares me somewhat to have kids 9 hours away from family, who I can't call when I just need a little break. And of course, I have had some anxiety over how we are gonna raise kids in today's society on only 1 income. But each time I pick these burdens up, I force myself to lay them back down at the feet of Jesus and trust that if I am doing His will, He will provide for us. He hasn't failed me yet!

I am also so blessed to be married to my best friend. Shane is an amazing husband, and a constant support and encouragement to me. I know I can always depend on him! And I am very thankful to him for working so hard to make it possible for me to stay at home!

And for those times that I feel the need to do something for myself...I have been blessed with a sewing machine, where I can let my creative juices flow!

Well, there you have it...this has turned into a 'very pregnant' woman's rambling who is suffering from insomnia. I started this post last night before I went to bed, then picked back up at 4am when I couldn't fall back asleep!

So to end this post, I just want to say thanks to those I worked with at Stasz Chiropractic, I really enjoyed working with you and will miss you all! You all have been a blessing in my life more than you know!

Good night...or rather, Good morning!

The Rocker/Recliner and some other stuff!

Here are some pictures of the long awaited rocker/recliner! Its beautiful and the exact color I was wanting! Bella and I took a nap in it this morning!

Of course, Bella immediately had to try out the rocker after it came, she thinks its pretty comfy!
I will admit that after the chair was taken upstairs and I went up to see it for the first time sitting there, I did start crying...not necessarily b/c of the chair, but that it almost completes Emma's room...now all we need is her to complete it! I so look forward to rocking her and feeding her and reading her stories!

We also had some visitors last night!
My best friend, Heather and her hubby, Jon stayed with us again on their way back home to Indiana after spending 2 weeks in Nebraska! It was of course a fun blessing to have them here again! And Miloh and Bella played like crazy and both were 'dog tired' when we went to bed! We ordered pizza and watched the Olympics and just relaxed together!

And here is a picture of my morning project!
I wanted to try making a boppy cover and I think I was fairly successful on my first try! Now, I will put my sewing stuff away! I am almost done with cleaning out the storage closet and will have Shane help me take my sewing stuff upstairs for me tonight!
Well, that is all I have to update you on! We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow! I will let you know how that goes!

37 Week Update

Shane and I had our 37 week prenatal checkup this Friday, as well as an ultrasound. They estimate that baby Emma weighs 5lbs 9oz (give or take a 1lb). She looked healthy and everything looked good. We got a picture of her foot that constantly keeps jabbing out my left side (I think she thinks that is the exit and is trying to kick her way out!) We got a couple face shots, but they are hard to see anything b/c she had her arm resting up by her face and it was casting a shadow across her face.
My doctor checked me and I am dilated a full 1. And she said the symptoms I have been having are promising, and that I could go anytime between now and 3 weeks. I am not counting on going early...I am trying to mentally prepare myself for the long hall! I have been getting increasingly more uncomfortable and have had a lot of Braxton Hicks/false labor contractions that keep getting more intense. Sleeping is getting much harder! We go back to the doctor on Wednesday, and will see my doctor's other partner that day, then we will have met all the possible doctors that could actually delivery the baby. Our doctor also had us schedule our 39 week appointment for the 25th, at which time we will assess how I am feeling and progressing and see if going to Lindsey's wedding will still be a possibility.
I got Emma's diaper bag all packed, and most of my bag packed. I still need to pick up a few things I forgot. I plan to pick up some snack food tomorrow at the grocery store to take with us as well. I spent this week cleaning out the storage closet, which I am getting close to being done. I have a few totes that I still need to go thru. I also made a trip to the outlet mall on Wednesday, and stopped at Target and Petco to pick up some things. (My mother told me that had to be my last trip out of town without my husband! I guess I just won't tell her if I go anywhere :)

Shane and I had a good weekend. We had Bible study Friday night. Then on Saturday, Shane got up and went to work at 7:30am to catch up on things and came home a little after noon. I spent the morning picking up the house and doing laundry. We then ate lunch and headed to the QC to pick up 10 more bags of 'surface bonding cement'. We also stopped at Baby Beginnings to pick up Emma's baby book that had been on back order, picked up a few things at Sam's Club, and made a trip to JcPenney to get Shane a white dress shirt and tie for Lindsey's wedding. I am hoping the black maternity dress I have that I wore when I was 28 weeks pregnant still fits!
Today we spent working in the basement. We are getting closer to being done! Below are a few pictures from today.

Shane working hard!

Me at 37 weeks, 2 days pregnant

Me building up my arm muscles!

Tomorrow my rocker/recliner is suppose to be delivered! Yes, you read right...I might actually get my rocker/recliner tomorrow! Its suppose to be here between 10-11am! I will try and post a picture tomorrow night!
I have a list of things I want to get done this week and Thursday is my last day at work! Its so hard to believe that August is half over and that Emma will be in my arms soon (I cry just thinking about it!!!) I am getting very excited to see what she looks like and to see if she has hair!

Well, its off to bed for me! Hope you all had a good weekend and that God blesses you with a wonderful week and beautiful weather! We all have so much to be thankful for!

Weekend

Shane and I had another productive weekend! It rained off and on on Saturday, so we held off on working on the basement til Sunday. So instead, we tackled lots of little things on our to-do list, but not without starting the day off with some french toast (still doesn't taste like my mom's).
Among one of things was to hang Emma's mirror in her room. My sister, Britni, gave me the mirror. She was no longer using it in her new house. So it worked out great that we didn't have to buy one (thanks sis!) But before we could hang it, I needed to paint it white.

Before
It was kinda ironic painting this mirror b/c I distinctly remember painting it almost 3 years ago for my sister, Britni for her baby's room when she had Zoe.

After

Another after picture.

On Sunday, Shane and I spent 10 hours in the basement and got 7 bags of the surface bonding cement on the walls. We are a little over half way done. We are gonna have to move the sink and counter and Shane's tool area before we can finish up. We hope to put in full days again this weekend, as long as it doesn't rain. I told Shane I didn't think I would be much help after this weekend with being so far along in my pregnancy. I had a massage this morning, which helped a lot and I scheduled another for next Monday. I am definitely building up some arm muscles...which will come in handy with carrying that carseat around!

I called to check on my recliner and found out that it shipped from the manufacturer on July 31st, and it usually takes 2 weeks to arrive. So the lady at Pierce Furniture thought that it should be in late this week or early next week! So hopefully I will have a recliner to post about very soon!

Well, thats all I can think of right now!

36 Week Update...

Wow, its hard to believe I have hit 36 weeks! Shane and I had our appointment today. We saw our doctor's new partner. Our doctor is on vacation and she wanted us to meet with her partners at least once, since if we go into labor during the night, whoever is on call will deliver the baby. She has a hard to pronounce last name, so she said to just call her Dr. Anna. I am not sure what nationality she is, but has a very thick accent. She was really nice and funny and spent a lot of time with us. Of course, I really 'got' to know her at this appointment b/c I had to have my strep B test done, and she also checked my cervix. Which I am happy to report is softening and I am dilated at a 1...I know, not a lot to report, but its progress and thats all I am happy about. The baby has dropped lower into my pelvis, but not completely. So I would say we are on track, and don't see us delivering before our due date (sorry, sis!). And as strange as it sounds, it would be really weird to have an August baby, when the last 8 months I have been planning on a September baby!
Dr. Anna did order us an Ultrasound for next week. She said I was measuring a little small (but the baby is growing) and with my low weight gain during this pregnancy, she would just like to make sure the baby doesn't get too big for me to deliver and she would like to check on where the placenta is lying one more time, to make sure it is high enough.
She also said the constant numbness in my left thigh that I have been experiencing for 2 weeks is ok. I wasn't too worried, I figured the baby was now sitting on a nerve, and she confirmed that.

Below is my 36 week photo

I went from everyone at work last week saying "oh, you are finally showing," to this week saying "you look like you are gonna pop."

It was the 36 week mark that I gave myself before I would allow myself to take the tags off and wash all of Emma's blankets, bedding and clothes! So thats what I did after our appointment during the afternoon! There was alot more to wash than I expected! And I only washed her newborn to 3 month old clothes! And Emma sure has a ton of blankets (I don't know how she will ever pick a favorite 'B' to always have with her).

Of course, Bella had to nap on the ottoman I made while I sat on the floor and sorted and cut tags off. Its the perfect height for her to see out the window. I think she has claimed her spot in Emma's room!

I had to show Shane the dryer lent, I had never cleaned out such pink lent from the dryer vent before!
I also checked off a few other things from our list this week...I hung the blinds in Emma's room, got our address numbers up on the house, cleaned and organized my kitchen cabinets, cleaned the office,and took 2 car loads of stuff to be recycled. Unfortunately, we also thought of 5 more things to add to the list...so I am kinda making progress!
On Thursday, we had our last birthing class...this one was on breast feeding. So I suppose we should be ready to go...if being ready is actually ever possible!

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

New Bathroom Vanity Top and Faucet...CHECK!

Here are the before and after photos of the new vanity top we put in. We can now check that off our 'to do' list! I think it turned out great and I feel very blessed to have found such an awesome deal!

Before

The wall repair I needed to do. The back splash on the new vanity top was 1 inch shorter than the old one.

After
I really wanted a new faucet where I didn't have to pull up on the handle, that was such a pain when you had dirty hands...this new one is great! I love it and the vanity top! It matches everything perfect! And I think it updates the space nicely!

Welcome Taya Jo Mann!!!

Well, I lost my pregnant companion...my cousin, Tracy, delivered a healthy and beautiful baby girl on August 6th, 2008!
Her name is Taya Jo Mann, she weighed 7lbs 3oz and was 18.5 inches long! She also has black hair! You can go to Tracy's blog to check out some photos!
Congratulations Tracy and Ethan on the birth of your beautiful baby daughter!
We look forward to meeting her!
Love you!

Weekend full of Work, Fun and Great Friends!

We had a very blessed and productive weekend!

On Friday, Bella had her yearly wellness exam, shots and heartworm check. The vet said she looked like a very well kept dog and must not go outside much...I told her she was very much a spoiled indoor dog! Bella weighed 10 lbs, heartworm was negative, and her teeth and health looked excellent! But the vet said there is nothing I can do about her 'submissive urination' when she gets excited around people. But she may eventually grow out of it! Let's hope so!

I spent the rest of the day cleaning, baked 4 loaves of zucchini bread and did laundry! I did get a little nap in during the afternoon!

On Saturday, Shane and I woke up and headed to the QC. We went to Home Depot and picked up 10 bags of the surface bonding cement. We also found a widespread bath faucet we liked for a good price! (Earlier in the week, while I was at Menards I came across a special order vanity top that had been returned due to some small damage to the left side corner. I have been wanting to replace our current one in our main bathroom, and this was the perfect size and colors! And we were able to pick it up for like a 1/4 of what it was regular price!)
On our way home from Home Depot, we stopped at the farmer's market since we haven't ever gone to the one in Davenport before. We came across someone selling pickling cucumbers, so we bought a bunch and picked up some fresh garlic, green peppers, onion and dill!

On our way home, I also made Shane stop at Farm & Fleet cuz they were having 25% off John Deere and Carters stuff. I needed to pick up my nephew, Luke, a birthday present, and he loves to wear the JD stuff! I found my nephew, Nathan a cute shirt as well! And of course, I couldn't pass up some adorable new stuff they got in for Baby Emma! And to top that all off...we found a pretty cute pair of jeans for Shane that were only $11.99...plus it was all tax-free since this weekend was tax-free weekend in Iowa!

After we got home, we ate some lunch and took a short nap! Then Shane decided to tackle putting in the new vanity top before our company was to arrive! We hit a few snags, like I will need to do some repair work to the wall left over from the old vanity top and the faucet didn't quite fit, the handles did, but not the spout part. We got it all figured out, and the end result is beautiful. I still need to do the repair work, but will do that this week sometime. I will post before and after pics when I am done.

My best friend, Heather and her husband, Jon from Indiana arrived at our house around 5:30pm. They were on their way home to Nebraska for 2 weeks, and stopped to stay the night with us! We were very excited to see them! We went out to eat at Las Lomas (our fav place to eat!) and spent the evening catching up, laughing and playing a round of Hearts (which I won...and Jon so lost!) They headed out early this morning, but not without a loaf of zucchini bread and a jar of homemade pickles (I try to make it so they will want to come back again!)

Heather and I

Heather and Jon also brought along their dog, Miloh. He is a Shihpoo too...they decided to get him after meeting Bella!
Here is Miloh playing with Bella's toy, he had a blast digging thru her bed of toys and getting them ALL out! Which is exactly what Bella does too!

Here is Bella giving me a look that says "what is he doing with my toy?"

It doesn't take long for these two to start to play! They love chasing each other, and Bella is really learning to hold her own!

Puppy Kisses!

The Struckmans

The Hughes

Me and Heather w/ our furkids

Sunday

Below are some pictures of the fruits of our labor!
After we saw Heather and Jon off, Shane and I headed to the basement. We got 4 bags of the surface bonding cement on...which almost covered the entire wall.

Before

After
You can see the one spot that we didn't get with the 4th bag. I was tired and didn't feel up to doing a 5th bag, so we stopped here for the day. We got a lot done and hope to work on it both Saturday and Sunday next weekend.

After we cleaned up downstairs and showered, we decided to can pickles. We did 2 1/2 batches, which is 10 quart jars. I only had 10 empty jars, so we jammed them as full as we could! We did jars with wholes, halves and spears, and a few with a mixture. Now we have to wait 6 weeks to eat them!

So, there is our great weekend in one long post!

Shane and I really feel blessed to have each other. I think he appreciates having a wife who doesn't mind working and getting her hands dirty with home improvement projects and I know I really appreciate having a husband who will help me with kitchen projects, like canning, because its a lot of work. And its all so much better when you have someone to do all these things with!

Well, I think its bedtime for me...I didn't get a nap in today and have been up since 6:30am! Hope you all had a great weekend too!

Tracy's Diaper Bag

Here is my latest sewing project.
I made my cousin Tracy a diaper bag, she is expecting very soon...only like a week left! I worked my butt off to get this done in time before she went into labor and I made it in time! It was kinda a time crunch since we weren't able to get together until 4th of July weekend to talk about material. I went with an aqua color minky, brown flannel, and cream colored accents. I actually finished it week ago, but wanted to wait to post pictures until after Tracy got the surprise package in the mail!

Matching Quilt

Front

Back

Side

Top view w/ zipper

Inside

Matching Burp Rags

The whole set

Tracy - I am so glad you love your diaper bag. I pray you, Ethan and your new baby can feel all the love that went into it! May God bless you and your new little family! I can't wait to meet Baby Mann! Love you!